Apparatus for adjusting the windage and elevation dials of a mark-16 rifle or the like

ABSTRACT

THE WINDAGE AND ELEVATION DIALS OF THE M-16 RIFLE ARE MOUNTED ON THE REAR AND FRONT SIGHTS RESPECTIVELY OF THE RIFLE AND EACH IS FORMED AS A CIRCULAR DIAL HAVING A CENTRAL PROJECTION SURROUNDED BY CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED OPENINGS. ADJUSTMENT IS MADE BY ENGAGING AN OPENING AND ROTATING THE DIAL. HOWEVER, EACH OF THE DIALS ALSO HAS A LOCK PIN EXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF ITS OPENINGS TO RESTRAIN THE ROTATION AND THIS PIN FIRST MUST BE DEPRESSED BEFORE ADJUSTMENT CAN BE MADE. THE PRESENT TOOL IS AN ELONGATE ROD HAVING EACH OF ITS END WALLS PROVIDED WITH A CENTRAL BORE TO RECEIVE THE OUTWARDLY PROJECTING PORTIONS OF THE DIALS AND ALSO HAVING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED PINS DISPOSED AROUND THE CENTRAL BORES FOR ENGAGING THE OPENINGS ON THE DIALS. THE PINS ARE SPACED AND SIZED TO INSERTABLY MATE WITH THE OPENINGS AND, IN USE, ONE OF THE OTHER ENDS OF THE TOOL ARE MATED WITH THE WINDAGE OR ELEVATION DIALS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY DEPRESS THE LOCK PIN OF THE DIAL AND PERMIT THE ROTARY ADJUSTMENT. A MEDIALLY-DISPOSED KNURLED SECTION FACILITATES ROTATION OF THE TOOL.

m m y 4 m a m w 3 0 m m m mg Kw Tm D m W 1 Q o E mt. a H w R p it. .3....44 I Em M w W .wgg... F T m n mm... m w A s 5 I R a I F United StatesPatent Ofice 3,564,949 Patented Feb. 23, 1971 3,564,949 APPARATUS FORADJUSTING THE WINDAGE AND ELEVATION DIALS OF A MARK-16 RIFLE OR THE LIKEErnest J. Hedrick, Staatsburg, N.Y. 12580 Filed Sept. 18, 1968, Ser. No.760,400 Int. Cl. B25b 13/48 US. Cl. 81-3 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE The windage and elevation dials of the M-16 rifle are mountedon the rear and front sights respectively of the rifle and each isformed as a circular dial having a central projection surrounded bycircumferentially-spaced openings. Adjustment is made by engaging anopening and rotating the dial. However, each of the dials also has alock pin extending through one of its openings to restrain the rotationand this pin first must be depressed before adjustment can be made. Thepresent tool is an elongate rod having each of its end walls providedwith a central bore to receive the outwardly projecting portions of thedials and also having circumferentially-spaced pins disposed around thecentral bores for engaging the openings on the dials. The pins arespaced and sized to insertably mate with the openings and, in use, oneor the other ends of the tool are mated with the windage or elevationdials to simultaneously depress the lock pin of the dial and permit therotary adjustment. A medially-disposed knurled section facilitatesrotation of the tool.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to tools and,in particular, to wrench-like tools for turning headed objects.

The windage and elevation dials of the Mark-16 rifle have been brieflydescribed in the fore-going Abstract of the Disclosure. In priorpractice, the users of the rifles usually made the adjustments byinserting a live M-l6 round into one of the dial openings to depress thelocking pin on the dial to permit its rotation. On other occasions,nails or any other sharp pointed object that might be available wereemployed for this purpose. Such adjustment procedures are highlyunsatisfactory particularly because the live round might be defectiveand exposed in the users hands or, if a sharp pointed object isemployed, the dials frequently are gouged or scratched to initiatedamaging corrosion. Further, the procedure is a diflicult one and takesa substantial amount of valuable time and effort.

THE OBJECTS It is therefore a primary object of the present invention toprovide a tool capable of quickly and easily enabling adjustment of thewindage and elevation dials of the M-l6 rifle.

Another object is to provide such tool which is unusually simple tofabricate in that it involves like fabrication operations at both endsof the tool.

A further objects is to provide such a tool which is small and capableof being carried in the bipod case normally provided with the M-16 rifleso as to be readily available when needed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention is briefly summarized inthe foregoing Abstract of the Disclosure. Other features of theinvention will become apparent in the detailed description which is tofollow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is illustrated inaccompanying drawings of which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a Mark-16rifle showing the front and rear sights on which the elevation andwindage dials or drums are mounted;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the windage drum of the rifle;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the front sight and the manner inwhich the elevation dial is carried by it;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the present adjusting tool; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are left and right end views of the tool as shown in FIG.4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The rifle shown in FIG. 1 is a5.56 mm. M16 rifle having front and rear sights 1 and 2, the rear sightcarrying a windage drum or dial 3 and the front sight carrying anelevation dial 4 in the manner shown in FIG. 3. Similar mechanisms aremounted on other rifles of this class such as the 5.56 mm. XM16E1.Windage drum 3 is used to adjust windage by moving the point of impactof the gun to the right or to the left. To move the point of impact tothe right, the drum is turned clockwise and to move it to the left it isturned in a counterclockwise direction. The drum is provided with anoutwardly projecting central portion 6 (FIG. 2) and withcircumferentially-spaced openings or apertures 7 disposed about centralportion 6. A lock pin 8 projects outwardly through one of the openings 7to normally restrain rotation of the drum, this pin being spring-pressedoutwardly in a manner not shown in the drawings. Depression of the pinis needed to release the dial for adjustment.

Elevation dial or drum 4 is somewhat similar to drum 3 to the extentthat, as shown in FIG. 3, this drum has a central projection 9surrounded by circumferentiallyspaced apertures 11. A spring-depressedlock pin 10 projects into one of these apertures in the manner shown inFIG. 3 and, again, this lock pin must be depressed before the dial canbe rotated. Rotation in clockwise or counterclockwise direction movesthe point of impact of the bullet up or down fixed amounts and the sightemploys graduations or indices to indicate to the user the degree of theadjustment. For example, each graduation moves the point of impact 2.8cm. at meters, 5.6 cm. at 200 meters, etc. Usually the sight isinscribed with the word Up to indicate the desired direction of rotationto the used and, in a similar manner, the previously-described windagedrum has its desired direction of rotation, indicated by markings R andL signifying right and left, in scribed on its sight.

The present invention provides a tool to quickly and easily make thedesired adjustments in either the windage or elevation drums. Referringto FIG. 4, the tool is in the form of an elongate rod 15 having adiameter, through a major portion of its length, of The left end of therod (FIG. 4) is provided with a bevel 16 reducing the diameter toMedially, the rod is formed with a knurled surface 17 providing agripping surface to rotate the tool.

The two end walls of the rod 18 and 19 carry the functional elements ofthe tool, end 18 being employed to adjust elevation drum 4 of the frontsight and end 19 to adjust windage drum 3 of the rear sight. End 18 isprovided with an axial bore 21 and also with circumferentially-spacedpins 22 carried peripherally around the bore at equal distances from theaxis of the bore. The larger end 19 which is used to adjust the windagedrum has a similar arrangement to the extent that it also is providedwith an axial bore 23 surrounded by outwardly extending,

circumferentially-spaced pins 24.

Since, as presently contemplated, ends 18 and 19 mate with the elevationand windage drums 3 and 4, it is essential that the bores and pins onthese members be precisely sized and spaced. As already has been stated,end 18 has an outside diameter of /8 and its bore 21 is a A hole drilleddeep. Five depressing pins 22 are carried by this end, these pins beingmounted in any suitable manner on that end 18, although preferably, theend is drilled and the pins inserted in the drilled openings. When thismounting procedure is employed, it is important to assure that the pinshave an outward extension from the face of end 18 of .075. Further, pins22 are mounted at 72 intervals and, as shown in FIG. 5, the pins aresemicircular in shape having arcuate interior walls 26 formed with aradius. As may be noted in FIG. 3, the apertures or openings 11 ofelevation drum 4 are formed as semicircular notches with whichsemicircular pins 22 mate.

End 19, when adapted for use with the windage drum of the M-l6 rifle, isformed with its bore 23 drilled A deep and /8" in diameter. Again, pins24 customarily are mounted in openings drilled peripherally in end 19and the outwardly projecting portion of the pins measured from the faceof end wall 19 should be .075. Pins 24, which are cylindrical in shape,are disposed at a radius measured from the central axis of bore 23 andthese pins have a diameter of disposed at 72 intervals circumferentiallyabout the bore axis.

In use, ends 18 or 19 of the tool are mated with either the elevation orwindage dials to simultaneously depress the lock pins of the dials andenable rotation to a new adjusted position. Bores 21 and 23 of these endportions receive the outwardly-projecting central portions of the dialpermitting pins 22 or 24 to be mated with the dial apertures.

The particular advantages of the tool include the fact that iteliminates the need of the rifieman to utilize nails, a live round, orany similar pointed object which may be injurious to the rifieman or maygouge or scratch the sights to promote corrosion and other damage to thesights. In particular, the tool facilitates the adjustment and greatlyincreases the speed at which adjustments can be made. As will beappreciated, the rapidity of the adjustments may be a very significantfactor in a number of crucial situations. Other advantages of the toolreside in its simplicity, small size and light weight all of whichpermit it to be carried along with other cleaning rods and accessoryequipment in the bipod case provided with the gun.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

1. A tool for use in adjusting the elevation and windage dials of thefront and rear sights, respectively, of the M-16 rifle, said dialshaving outwardly projecting central portions withcircumferentially-spaced openings and further being rotatably-adjustablewith lock pins extending into one of the openings of each dial fornormally restraining its rotation, said tool comprising:

an elongate rod-like member formed medially with a gripping surface andhaving one of its end portions reduced in diameter, the end walls ofsaid rod member being formed with axial bores of varying diameter, saidend walls further being provided with outwardly-projecting pins spacedcircumferentially around the bores,

the bore and pins of one end being sized and shaped to receive theoutwardly-projecting central portion of said elevation dial with thepins insertably mated with the openings of said dial, and

the bore and pins of the other end also being sized and shaped toreceive the outwardly-projecting central portion of said windage dialwith the pins insertably mated with the openings of said dial,

whereby said tool can be so mated with either dial for simultaneouslydepressing said lock pins and adjustably rotating said dials.

2. A tool for use in adjusting the elevation and windage dials of thefront and rear sights, respectively, of the M-l6 rifle, said dialshaving outwardly-projecting central portions Withcircumferentially-spaced openings and further being rotatably-adjustableWith lock pins extending into one of said openings of each dial fornormally restraining its rotation, said tool comprising:

an elongate rod-like member formed medially with a gripping surface, oneend portion of said member being reduced in diameter and having its endwall formed with a longitudinal bore of a depth sufiicient to receivethe outwardly-projecting portion of said elevation dial,

said one end Wall further carrying a plurality of outwardly-projectingpins having arcuate interior wall surfaces and said pins being spacedcircumferentially on said end in conformity with the openings of saidelevation dial and disposed radially outwardly said bore for mating intosaid dial openings,

the other end portion of said member also having its end wall formedwith a longitudinal bore of a depth sufficient to receive theoutwardly-projecting portion of said windage dial, and said end wall ofsaid other end portion carrying a plurality of cylindrically-shaped pinsspaced circumferentially on said end in conformity with the opening ofsaid windage dial and disposed radially outwardly of said bore formating with said opening,

whereby said tool can be mated with either of said dials forsimultaneously depressing said lock pins and adjustably rotating thedials. 3. The tool of claim 2 in which: the end wall of said one endportion is about in diameter With a bore about A" deep and A1" indiameter, said pins of said one portion being spaced at about 72intervals on about a radius measured from the bore axis, and said pinsbeing formed to project outwardly, said end wall about .075" and havingsemicircular interior wall surfaces with about radii, and

the end wall of said other end portions is about in diameter with a boreabout A" deep and /a" in diameter, said pins being about in diameterspaced at about 72 intervals on about a radius measured from the boreaxis, said pins being formed to project outwardly of said end wall about.075".

-4. The tool of claim 2 wherein said central gripping surface isknurled.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,496,591 2/ 1950 Maxwell 8l-90X2,539,532 1/1951 Daniels 8l90 2,544,058 3/ 1951 Watkins 81-90X 3,011,34912/1961 Kratz 81-9OX THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner R. L. SPRUILL,Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 819O

